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Saturday, December 22, 2012

Remembering birds on a wire

In October, 2005, just a little over a year after we moved to south Florida, Hurricane Wilma hit us directly. Although we went without power for a few days, lost a couple of trees and had minor roof damage, we were relatively unscathed. Several days later, we visited the wetland patch near our home. This is actually a wetlands preserve set aside by developers to mitigate some of the loss of original Everglades land-- the West Broward Water Conservation Area.We found that many of the old dead trees that had served as roosts for larger birds such as raptors and herons had been knocked down. This was one of the few relicts. I called it the "stork tree." It finally toppled in 2010.One snag felled by Wilma took down a power pole from an abandoned line that crossed into the wetlands, and wires draped across our path. The power company removed most of the wires but left a single one that sagged down to about 15 feet over the path but was not obstructing access.The favored perches were rather distant, so my photos are generally of poor quality. This is the second pole out from the path. A Red-shouldered Hawk is barely recognizable on the third, and Common Grackles occupy the nearer pole.Without the old trees, the power poles became especially attractive to Ospreys that nested in a grove of exotic Melaleuca trees at the far northern extent of the preserve. Here, a Belted Kingfisher looks down at an Osprey on the pole nearest to the path.Over the past seven years the wire provided a perch for quite a variety of birds. I recently took this photo of an unlikely association between an American Kestrel and a Loggerhead Shrike, not knowing that the wire would be taken down the next day.A year ago I caught them sitting almost shoulder-to-shoulder!A pair of Northern Flickers also shared the wire with a kestrel.Once there was an odd gathering of a kestrel, a kingfisher and two shrikes.Red-winged Blackbirds liked to sing from the wire.For a little variety, a blackbird was joined by a Northern Mockingbird, a female flicker and a male kingfisher.A male flicker joined this shrike.A pair of Red-tailed Hawks conducted their courtship on the pole.Doves were well-represented, including this Mourning Dove......a Common Ground-Dove......and a White-winged Dove.An unusual occupant was this Common Nighthawk. They usually do not perch crosswise, and prefer a tree limb to a wire.A bald Eagle passed by closely but did not stop.All in all, I have tallied a total of over 20 species on the wire and adjacent poles. Other species that I have seen on the wire have been Eurasian Collared-Doves, Boat-tailed Grackles, Starlings, Fish Crows, a Northern Cardinal, Monk Parakeets, and of course, Blue Jays.The power company had no choice but to remove the inactive wire, as the pole that supported its other end had to be removed and replaced by a new and taller one. Now the wire rests under the pole, neatly stowed and carrying only memories the many birds that swayed with it in the wind.Now my concern turns to the fate of the old poles that course into the wetlands. Two years ago, Ospreys nested in this Meleleuca grove across the wet prairie, but this spring it was treated with herbicides and every tree was killed. Their ghosts now line the northern boundary of the preserve, eventually to be cut and removed for a highway right-of way.I never found the actual nest (the only access is over private land), but saw the Ospreys bringing prey into an area about one third of the way down from the far end of the grove of now defoliated and dead trees. Might it be possible for the "powers that be" to allow the old telephone poles to stand, and serve as hosts for one or more Osprey nest platforms? I fear that I am assigning myself another mission.

14 comments:

Some amazing shots there Ken. Those diverse species all sitting so close together on the telegraph wire - in particular the kingfisher, the kestrel and two shrikes so close together looks almost contrived but certainly a little bizarre. Maybe they are getting a kick out of whatever vibrations buzz along the line? Thanks for tipping me off about the Facebook page by the way. Best wishes for the season and 2013.

Amazing photo essay on "birds on the wire" Ken! A couple of astonishing shots to me were the Common Nighthawk on a wire and the American Kestrel and Northern Shrike together. Do you suppose the kestrel and shrike were discussing who would pounce on the next prey spotted by both of them? Whenever I think of birds on a wire it brings to mind the old Leonard Cohen song, sung by Judy Collins. Have a very Merry Christmas and a healthy, happy and prosperous New Year Ken! Oh, it sounds like an excellent mission to save the poles but what are they doing putting a highway through a wildlife preserve that was set up to mitigate taking land elsewhere in the first place?

Merry Christmas, everyone! Gemma, I wasn't thinking of the stork tree as a Christmas tree, but it is a wonderful one! Larry, I just learned that "Bird on a Wire" was Judy Collins' first recording. The highway will run along the eastern and northern perimeter of the conservation area, but it does cut across its northern extension. Despite most of this land having been set aside as a perpetual preserve, the plan to restore the Everglades sheet flow includes turning the entire area into a reservoir. They are required to find other wetlands to be set aside as compensation. There is no land left anywhere around here, so it will likely be somewhere upstate, even hundreds of miles away, if this is ever accomplished. I could write a book, but I may start with a blog or series of blogs on this complicated and interesting issue. I'm all for Everglades restoration and see that this is necessary to keep water from being wasted through seepage into canals that connect directly with the ocean. More later...

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About Me

Virtual New Mexican, winters in Florida and migrates annually to Illinois, remembers growing up, birding and practicing in New Jersey, finds birds and beauty close to home.
A lifelong birder and retired physician, I grew up and began my practice in New Jersey. After my career in the US Public Health Service, my wife Mary Lou and I retired to the mountains of New Mexico, where we led bird walks at Rio Grande Nature Center and the US Forest Service. The cooperative rosy-finch feeding project we initiated at Sandia Crest has developed into a major banding and research program. More recently we moved to South Florida, where we worked to create a Bald Eagle sanctuary to protect this species' first active nest in Broward County since before DDT was banned. We migrate to a second home in northern Illinois. I took up photography in 2008 and enjoy finding beauty in birds and nature close to home. Read
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